Say ‘I do’ to buying beer for Valentine’s Day

Beer can make men do a lot of things. But apparently even free beer can’t convince us not to procrastinate on our Valentine’s Day plans.

Cary Florist and nearby Fortnight Brewing Co. partnered up last Wednesday, giving away beer and raffle prizes to anyone who walked in the door. You didn’t even have to buy any flowers, but if you did, you also got a discount.

I was there for the first half of the two-hour event. Counting myself, four men came by. One guy knew his wife’s favorite flowers and walked out with a purchase. But for the most part, we men confirmed one or two stereotypes that day.

But I’m here to encourage us all to do a little advance shopping, starting once you finish reading this. You’ll make everyone’s life easier, including your own.

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And while I don’t pretend know anything about flowers, I do pretend to know a little about beer. And why let wine continue to dominate in February? So read on, whether you love a beer lover or simply want something to wash away the frilliest, sappiest holiday of the year.

First, let’s give Fortnight credit for their new Chocolate Cherry Porter – because how can you go wrong with chocolates and cherries on Valentine’s Day?

First, let’s give Fortnight credit for their new Chocolate Cherry Porter – because how can you go wrong with chocolates and cherries on Valentine’s Day?

And if you want to get down even more on the chocolate theme this year, there’s no better way than with Sexual Chocolate, the limited-release stout from Foothills Brewing. Like a sultry, alcoholic take on the McRib, this beer is only made available every so often, and its scarcity drives up demand.

And just like the famed sandwich, I’ve never had a Sexual Chocolate – although in both cases, not for lack of trying.

A bottle shop near Research Triangle Park, The Glass Jug, recently got their hands on a single keg of Sexual Chocolate for a 5 p.m. pouring. But by the time I got there at 5:45 – I actually have to work, unlike some of you hooligans – the keg was long gone. My bartender said it kicked in 20 minutes, the fastest he’s ever seen.

Take that, frat boys. Beer nerds can finish off a heavy and highly alcoholic stout faster than I’ve ever seen y’all kill a keg of watery lite beer.

It’ll be difficult to get Sexual Chocolate this year – the beer’s 10th anniversary – without having a lot of free time or knowing the right people. So I found some other Valentine-appropriate brews from around the Triangle for the beer lover in your love life – or to drink on your own. I don’t judge.